Global infertility cases among women aged 35 to 49 are projected to rise by almost half to 79.64 million by 2036, posing a major public health challenge for Hong Kong as delayed childbearing becomes increasingly common, a large-scale study has found.The study, co-led by the University of Hong Kong, said on Tuesday that the city’s average maternal age was among the world’s highest and called for stronger fertility education and earlier reproductive planning rather than a primary focus on treatment.“infertility at advanced maternal age is not just a clinical issue,” said Queenie Li Lingjun, an associate professor in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at HKU’s school of clinical medicine.
SRCSouth China Morning Post
LANGEN
LEANCenter-Right
WORDS110
ENT9
TUE · 2026-08-18 · 13:29 GMTBRIEF NSR-2026-0818-103448
NSR-2026-0818-103448News Report·EN·Public Health
Infertility may affect 79.6 million women by 2036, posing challenge for Hong Kong
A large-scale study, co-led by the University of Hong Kong, projects that global infertility cases among women aged 35 to 49 will increase by nearly half to 79.64 million by 2036. This rise presents a significant public health challenge for Hong Kong, where delayed childbearing is becoming more prevalent and the average maternal age is among the highest globally.
Lam Ka-singSouth China Morning PostFiled 2026-08-18 · 13:29 GMTLean · Center-RightRead · 1 min
South China Morning PostFIG 01
Reading time
1min
Word count
110words
Sources cited
1cited
Entities identified
9entities
Quality score
100%
§ 01
Briefing Summary
AI-generatedNEWSAR · AI
A large-scale study, co-led by the University of Hong Kong, projects that global infertility cases among women aged 35 to 49 will increase by nearly half to 79.64 million by 2036. This rise presents a significant public health challenge for Hong Kong, where delayed childbearing is becoming more prevalent and the average maternal age is among the highest globally. Researchers are advocating for enhanced fertility education and earlier reproductive planning, rather than solely focusing on treatment. The study highlights that infertility in older mothers is a complex issue extending beyond clinical concerns.
Confidence 0.85Sources 1Claims 5Entities 9
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Article analysis
Model · rule-basedFraming
Public Health
Human Interest
Tone
Measured
AI-assessed
CalmNeutralAlarmist
Factuality
0.70 / 1.00
Factual
LowHigh
Sources cited
1
Limited
FewMany
§ 03
Key claims
5 extracted01
Infertility at advanced maternal age is not just a clinical issue.
quoteQueenie Li Lingjun
Confidence
1.00
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The rise in infertility poses a major public health challenge for Hong Kong.
factual
Confidence
0.95
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Stronger fertility education and earlier reproductive planning are needed in Hong Kong.
factualUniversity of Hong Kong study
Confidence
0.90
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Hong Kong's average maternal age is among the world's highest.
statisticUniversity of Hong Kong study
Confidence
0.90
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Global infertility cases among women aged 35 to 49 are projected to rise to 79.64 million by 2036.
prediction
Confidence
0.90
§ 04
Full report
1 min read · 110 words§ 05
Entities
9 identifiedKey playerOppositionContextPositiveNeutralNegative
Organizations1
Locations1
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Keywords & salience
9 termsinfertility
1.00
delayed childbearing
0.90
public health challenge
0.80
advanced maternal age
0.70
reproductive planning
0.60
fertility education
0.60
maternal age
0.50
hong kong
0.50
university of hong kong
0.40
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Topic connections
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